On the Ark.

"'Guardian of the Lock and Key'?" Lin Ye was even more surprised. "You mean, Mostima broke the seal?"

“I never said that,” Diana said irritably. “Do you think Laterano has only had one guardian of the lock and key all these years?”

“…That makes sense.” Lin Ye stroked his chin and said, “So, this is a problem left by our predecessors, and we’re letting our successors bear it? Let me guess, the Holy Grail that imprisoned the Abominations was destroyed, so if we want to continue sealing the Abominations, we need to use the bodies of those who are also inheritors of divine power, that is, the ‘Guardians of Locks and Keys’ throughout the ages, as containers?”

Diana glanced at Lin Ye with some surprise. She hadn't expected him to be able to deduce so much of the truth based on the information she'd given him. But what she didn't know was that Lin Ye was currently filled with disbelief, thinking that this kind of story development was far too cliché. Just a few elements combined were enough to make the cause and effect almost perfectly clear, and Diana's expression proved his guess was correct.

"I knew it." Lin Ye sighed. "It seems Mostima is a walking tragedy. What should I do?"

"Repair the Holy Grail, and let her replace Mostima, becoming the vessel of hatred once more."

Lin Ye was stunned: "Repair this cup? You're not kidding me, are you?"

“I’ve said it before, I’m not in the mood for jokes,” Diana said coldly. “Only those who possess divine power can repair the Holy Grail. And within Laterano, only the successive ‘Guardians of the Lock and Key’ possess divine power, but none of the ‘Guardians of the Lock and Key’ can approach the Holy Grail because a small portion of the power of Abomination is sealed within it. Once the true form of Abomination comes into contact with this remaining portion of power, even the ‘Key Magic’ will be unable to suppress it.”

"So that's how it is..." Lin Ye understood. "In other words, besides Mostima, only I, who also possesses divine power, could repair the Holy Grail?"

“I didn’t say that, it’s just a possibility,” Diana said. “Because in Laterano, no one will try to repair the Grail anymore, and apart from you and Mostima, no one else possesses the power of the ‘lock and key’.”

"So you're saying you're not confident either?" Lin Ye pondered.

“Of course, you don’t have to do it if you feel it’s dangerous.” Diana placed her hand on the Holy Grail. “Mostima certainly doesn’t want you to do it either.”

"Danger?" Lin Ye shook his head. "No, no, no, I'm not afraid of danger."

“Aren’t you afraid?” Diana said. “This is hatred, something that can rival the gods.”

Lin Ye thought to himself, what's so special about being comparable to a god? He already knew people at the level of true gods.

But just to be on the safe side, he looked at Nian and asked, "Do you think there's a problem?"

Nian shrugged: "I didn't sense any danger. The abomination she mentioned, its true form is no longer in the cup, is it?"

Diana frowned slightly: "It's indeed no longer in the Holy Grail, but... some of its power still remains."

"Then let's give it a try." Lin Ye rubbed his hands together, eager to try. "How should I do it?"

"...Are you really sure?" Diana said. "This is no joke. Many people have tried to control the power of the Holy Grail, but without exception, they all..."

Before Diana could finish speaking, Lin Ye had already placed his hand on the glass, then smiled and said to Diana, "That's good..."

Similarly, he didn't finish his sentence.

The next moment, Lin Ye collapsed to the ground.

Then he stopped breathing.

Chapter 655 The Death of Lin Ye (Part 2)

Kal'tsit pushed open the door and entered the bedroom while drying her wet hair.

This was a rare moment of relaxation for her during the day, as her work was incredibly demanding. As the de facto leader of Rhodes Island, she had to be constantly on edge, striving to do everything to the best of her ability. Although she didn't intentionally project an air of authority, most of Rhodes Island's young operators thought she was "fierce."

Although it wasn't to the point where just one glance would send chills down my spine, I certainly didn't dare to be too "presumptuous" in front of her.

Therefore, few people can imagine how different Kal'tsit is during the day when she likes to take a hot bath to completely relax her body after a day's work.

With a towel draped over her shoulders and dressed only in simple pajamas, Kal'tsit sat at the desk in her room, opened the book she had been reading halfway through the night before, and opened the lid of her coffee cup, where steam immediately rose from the freshly brewed coffee.

Although Kal'tsit herself always emphasized that everyone on Rhodes Island was equal, she still had a little selfish motive: she wanted the largest room on the warship, almost bigger than the rooms for two or three people combined. She filled the room with books, financial statements, and souvenirs she had collected from all over the world.

Her evening routine consisted of reading for an hour after showering, or working for another two hours. However, lately she'd been working less and reading more. This wasn't because she was becoming lazy, but because Rhodes Island was experiencing rapid growth, and more and more people were able to share her workload.

For example, Amiya and Lin Ye.

Amiya is growing up, and she's always been so capable, which puts Kal'tsit at ease. Lin Ye, on the other hand, is pleasantly surprised; she received news from Laterano during the day that the cooperation between Rhodes Island and Laterano has been finalized.

With the previous orders from Yan and Dong, Rhodes Island's funding problems have been resolved, meaning the biggest obstacle to its further development is no longer there. This made Kal'tsit genuinely happy, although she didn't show it to the operators.

Not only does he possess blood capable of saving the infected, but he can also drive the development of Rhodes Island… Thinking about it carefully, the orders from the Eastern Kingdom, the Yan Kingdom, and Laterano are all closely related to Lin Ye. Or rather, these orders from these three countries were all secured by Lin Ye himself, coupled with his good relations with Kal'tsit… This is an achievement that Kal'tsit herself admits she could not accomplish.

He was clearly a man, yet he was far more adept at diplomacy than she, a woman.

That's probably what they call talent.

In that case, no one would question Lin Ye becoming a doctor, right? He is truly the chosen one.

Thinking this, Kal'tsit slowly picked up her coffee cup, looking completely relaxed.

It seems I'll have more and more time to read in the future.

Kal'tsit took a sip of her warm coffee, and then heard her cell phone ring suddenly.

She had no private life, so the only thing calling her at this time was work. Kal'tsit always approached work with caution and seriousness, but today she was indeed a bit relaxed, so she simply picked up her phone without even putting down the coffee cup in her other hand, and answered the call.

Two seconds later, coffee spilled onto her most prized book, staining the dark yellow pages black. She didn't care anymore and stood up, her face pale.

"Is everything you're saying true?" Kal'tsit's voice trembled involuntarily.

After receiving an affirmative reply, she fell silent.

Kal'tsit considered herself a rational person, always demanding of herself to remain absolutely calm no matter what happened, but now, she wished she were dreaming. But Kal'tsit was Kal'tsit after all. After a few deep breaths, she quickly adjusted her mindset, and even her voice became steady: "No matter what, bring them back first, but it must be kept secret. No one can know."

Anderscher asked, "What about Laterano?"

"What do you mean, what should we do?" Kal'tsit frowned slightly. "Hasn't the contract already been signed?"

Andercher smiled wryly, "The contract has been signed, but the Doctor and Elder Kieran have another agreement. The Doctor promised to help him cure his illness before he agreed to persuade the Elder Council to sign. Now that the Doctor has suddenly... left, won't that cause dissatisfaction from Laterano? They might still break the contract."

"Tear it up if you want," Kal'tsit made a quick decision. "We can forgo the Lateran order. The most important thing now is to bring Lin Ye back... He is the most important person to us."

“I understand, Dr. Kal'tsit.” Andersel readily agreed to Kal'tsit’s instructions, but then hesitated, “But…”

"Just what?"

"The Yan Kingdom princess seems to be losing control of her emotions," Anderscher said in a low voice. "We have no way of giving her orders."

Kal'tsit covered her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.

After a long pause, she slowly said, "The princess of Great Yan is indeed not someone we can command, so just ignore her and do your best... no, no matter what, bring Lin Ye back, and quickly. I need to examine Lin Ye's body myself to find out what happened. As for the princess of Great Yan... I believe she will understand. The royal family of Yan is not stupid."

"I understand, doctor."

After hanging up the phone, Kal'tsit looked at the messy table and suddenly felt a little lost.

Even now, she still wonders if she's dreaming.

Otherwise, how could it be... The man who was reporting good news to her during the day, the man she had just decided to trust, the man who was about to become a doctor and lead everyone forward, the man who was about to change the world as the hope of the infected... just died like that?

How could he, how could he die so irresponsibly at a time like this?!

Kal'tsit clenched her teeth, her inner turmoil giving her an urge to destroy everything in front of her.

But she told herself to stay calm, especially in situations like this, she must not lose her composure.

She tried hard not to think about what would happen if Lin Ye really died. She tried not to think about how Rhodes Island's hard-won future would be shattered again, and she tried not to think that if she hadn't let Lin Ye go to Laterano, none of this would have happened.

She couldn't let negative emotions overwhelm her.

Even so, the thousand words in her heart couldn't help but turn into a simple swear word that she would never normally utter.

"grass."

Chapter 656 Incoming Call

Looking at the "corpse" in front of her that was so familiar, Ying Li almost ground her teeth to powder.

She didn't understand why this was happening, so much so that when she received the news, she thought she was dreaming. Only in dreams would the person she loved most in her life leave her again.

But this was not a dream; the completely cold body and the no-beating heart were undoubtedly telling Ying Li something.

Her brother, Ying Zhen... now called Lin Ye, the one who reluctantly accompanied her shopping during the day, saying he would definitely spend more time with her next time, is dead.

Ying Li slowly clenched her fists, and the sadness in her eyes gradually turned into anger.

The Rhodes Island operators inside the room were talking in hushed tones, and Ying Li vaguely overheard their decision to take Lin Ye back to Rhodes Island that very night. She stood up from beside Lin Ye and coldly looked at everyone in the room: "Without my permission, let's see who dares to take him away."

Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned their gazes to Ying Li, since she was the most respected among them.

“Your Highness.” Even though she knew that Ying Li’s situation was difficult to resolve with just a few words, Andrcher, having received Kal’tsit’s orders, still forced herself to speak, “I know you are heartbroken. The Doctor’s departure is painful for us as well, but we must bring him back to Rhodes Island as soon as possible…”

Andercher wanted to say, "Let's see if there's any hope," but he realized that wasn't the right thing to say. Besides, he had never heard of anyone being able to be revived an hour after cardiac arrest, when their body was almost cold. Saying that Lin Ye could still be saved was something you'd use to coax a child, not to "coax" the princess of the Great Yan Dynasty. Andercher didn't dare to say that.

Ying Li ignored Andercher's feelings and turned to look at Nian and Diana, because she knew that the two of them were by Lin Ye's side when Lin Ye passed away.

“Miss Nian.” Ying Li tried her best not to let her tone sound too sad, but instead filled it with suppressed anger, “You still haven’t told me what happened? How exactly did my brother… Dr. Lin Ye die? And why didn’t you take him to the hospital!”

Nian remained kneeling beside Lin Ye's body, ignoring Ying Li. Diana initially didn't want to answer Ying Li either, but after learning Ying Li's identity, she realized her attitude could potentially affect the relationship between Yan and Lateran. So, after a brief silence, she finally spoke, "Dr. Lin Ye's cardiac arrest wasn't due to injury; sending him to the hospital was useless. And I didn't just watch Dr. Lin Ye die; Miss Nian and I were trying to resuscitate him, but..."

"Rescue?!" Ying Li said through gritted teeth, "Staying in the room doing nothing, and this is your idea of ​​rescue?!"

“I’ve been trying to save him.”

"Then tell me, what exactly did you do!" Ying Li said. "And if Lin Ye didn't die from a common illness, then what was the reason?"

Diana was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "This is Lateran's secret, I can't tell you."

Diana's words were like a spark, igniting Ying Li's powder keg. She shouted, and the Imperial Guards rushed forward, surrounding Diana. This put considerable pressure on Diana. Although she was one of the more skilled fighters in Laterano, she was still weaker than the Imperial Guards of the Great Yan Dynasty, a force with a thousand-year history. She had no doubt that with a single command from Ying Li, these Imperial Guards could kill her on the spot.

This scene left Rhodes Island's operators in a real bind. They already knew Diana's identity, and naturally knew how Laterano would react if something happened to her. As a major power, Laterano was not someone Rhodes Island could contend with, but Yan Kingdom on the other side was equally formidable. So, before figuring out the cause of Lin Ye's death, they were at a loss for what to do.

Until Nian said in a very impatient tone, "What are you babbling about? Can't you be quiet? Will making noise solve anything?"

At this moment, Nian seemed to have completely changed; there was no smile on his face, only gloom.

But in her anger, Ying Li couldn't listen to Nian's words. She wasn't familiar with Nian; after all, back in Yan Kingdom, Nian was still a child. And in Ying Li's eyes now, Nian, like Diana, was an accomplice in "killing" Lin Ye. Compared to Diana, whom she had never met before, Ying Li was even angrier at Nian, who had known Lin Ye for a long time, as if Nian had "betrayed" Lin Ye.

Perhaps Nian had guessed what Ying Li was thinking. She turned to look at Ying Li and said coldly, "I advise you not to come looking for trouble. Lin Ye is in a bad state, and I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now. To tell you the truth, the only reason I'm willing to explain to you now is because you're this guy's sister. As for your identity as the princess of the Great Yan Kingdom... I've killed more than one member of the Yan Kingdom's royal family."

These highly threatening words instantly put the Imperial Guards on high alert.

Having witnessed Nian's extraordinary strength, they naturally wouldn't treat him as an ordinary person. So they left Diana's side and returned, anxiously guarding Ying Li's side. Although Ying Li was furious, she also sensed a different meaning in Nian's words and asked incredulously, "You mean, Lin Ye isn't dead?"

Although she knew the possibility was almost zero, Ying Li still held onto a sliver of hope.

“The god over there in Kalan would give him everything, how could he die so easily?” Nian said coldly, then turned to Diana, “The reason it has become like this is simply because all of you… including me, have been deceived by it.”

"it?"

“Of course it’s that guy called Abomination.” Nian’s eyes were full of killing intent. “Its soul has never left this broken cup. It has been lurking inside, waiting for a chance to escape.”

Diana's expression immediately changed: "You mean..."

“The ‘hatred’ in another woman’s body is fake.” Nian straightened up, looked down at Lin Ye who had no life signs, and said in a low voice, “Now that guy is in his body, trying to devour his soul.”